WEEK 5 - Provo, Utah MTC

Ciao!

I'm so excited to be writing to you all on this lovely Pday here in Provo. This week has been absolutely crazy. My zone leaves for Italy in 11 days and we are all realizing that we are still babies and know almost no Italian! Ah! It'll be ok though. I've been personally getting very excited to go back to Europe and have been trying to rub that enthusiasm off onto the other sister in our zone. We have talked extensively about the magic of European food, cobblestone streets, music and Christmas markets. And mostly we are just all so excited to get out and start talking to people. Italians sound like such warm and friendly people! 

Who else saw the eclipse this week? Wasn't it so neat?? We don't get very much entertainment here in the MTC so seeing the eclipse was like a suspense movie from the heavens. Everyone got out of class right as the moon started to cover the sun, and everyone was taking pictures of their shadows and looking through those dark glasses. My zone stood in a circle and read from 3 Nephi 8 where it talks about the destruction of the land and darkness for 3 days. So yes, we felt as if the world was ending.

Everyone in the courtyard looking at the eclipse

Quick spiritual thought. I have realized that for me personally, I am super terrible at living in the present. This is something I have been aware of for awhile, but it has been especially real here in the MTC. I have a hard time sitting still in meetings or lessons because I want to move onto the next thing. On a grander scale, I always find myself wanting to either go back in time and enjoy things that I used to, or jump forward a few weeks and be in Italy already. "I'll  be happy then!" I tell myself. But I know that is not true. There will always be things in our lives that are difficult or challenging, and all we can do is try to have joy amidst them. I'm sure that I am going to get to Italy and have moments of "Man, I wish I could just be back in the MTC right now." As I was reading in Mosiah 4 this week, I felt the Spirit testify to me of this principle when pondering a statement that King Benjamin made. After he says that the Spirit came upon them, that they had "peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith they had in Jesus Christ". Isn't that lovely? A peace of conscience. When I think of peace, it is always something that I am hoping for in the future. Peace that comes from not worrying about what will come later on. And with conscience, I am reminded of past things that I have done and still have emotional baggage from. With a clean conscience, I am not worrying about things that happened in the past. With "peace of conscience", King Benjamin is telling us to live in the present. To have faith in all things, but to live in the moment that God has put us and be anxiously engaged in where we are at NOW. 

I don't know if that made any sense but I sure hope so! Have a lovely day! The church is true!

Vi volgio bene! 

Love, 

Sorella McConkie

Drinking AMAZING drinks provided by you [mom] and your gorgeous package

matching t shirts!

More of me and Sorrella J being dorks

PS from laurel and james: here is a photo taken with some of our returned missionaries the other day. They were in the MTC to help the Czech/Slovak classes and they talked to Evie and sister Johnson for a while and said she is doing awesome. Thanks all of you who read her letters and pray for her and support her! We love you!